Tell the Media: Call Out Trump’s Authoritarian Prosecutions

Donald Trump’s Justice Department just charged Rep. LaMonica McIver — a sitting member of Congress — for attempting to conduct routine oversight of a controversial ICE facility in her hometown. The so-called “assault” charge stems from her effort to protect Newark’s mayor during a peaceful visit to Delaney Hall, a privately run detention center operating under legal challenge from the city itself.

This isn’t law enforcement — it’s political retaliation.

And yet, media coverage has been muted, robotic, and shamefully incomplete. Outlets like The New York Times, CNN, and AP have reduced this authoritarian move to headlines like “McIver charged in ICE skirmish” — ignoring the broader context of a sitting lawmaker being targeted for doing her job.

This is not normal. The Trump administration is now openly prosecuting elected Democrats, including Black public officials, for exercising basic oversight. That’s a textbook abuse of power — and the media should say so.

We’re calling on national news outlets to stop laundering Trump’s political prosecutions through neutral-sounding headlines. These charges are baseless, malicious, and designed to intimidate. The press must expose this authoritarianism — not normalize it. Add your name now.